National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Solid Rocket Boosters and

NASA Facts
Post-Launch Processing
I t’s a familiar sight during a shuttle launch: When the
twin solid rocket boosters (SRBs) have expended all
their fuel, they jettison away from the orbiter with help
from the booster separation motors, about 26.3 nautical
miles above the Earth’s surface. They don’t fall immediate-
ly because their momentum keeps them traveling upward
for about 70 seconds, to approximately 38.6 nautical miles.
Then they begin their tumble back toward the ocean.
The twin sets of boosters provide 80 percent of the space
shuttle launch thrust. Each SRB is made up of four “load-
ed” solid propellant segments called solid rocket motors
or SRMs. The SRBs operate parallel with the space shuttle
main engines for the first two minutes of flight, providing
additional thrust needed to escape the gravitational pull of
the Earth.
The spent SRBs are recovered, cleaned, disassembled,
refurbished and reused after each launch. The recovery
and cleaning process, however, is not like driving your car
through a car wash. Much of it is dangerous, from diving
in the open ocean to handling hazardous materials.
To slow the boosters as they begin their descent to the
ocean, the nose cap separates at an altitude of 2.5 nautical
miles and releases a pilot parachute that, in turn, deploys a
drogue chute. This action provides initial deceleration and
proper orientation for the SRBs.
At 6,000 feet, the frustum is separated when the ord-
nance system fires the separation ring, located between the
frustum and forward skirt structure, containing a linear-
shaped charge. The separation pulls out the three main
parachutes, providing a “soft” landing in the ocean for the
SRBs.
Slowing from a speed of 230 miles per hour, they
impact at a speed of 51 miles per hour. The entire descent
takes about 5 minutes. Because the parachutes provide
 for a nozzle-first impact, air is trapped in the empty
(burned out) motor casing, causing the booster to
SRB SEGMENTS
float with the forward end approxi-mately 30 feet out
of the water.
The boosters (with aft skirts still attached), frus-
tums, and parachutes are recovered by two SRB re-
trieval ships: the Liberty Star and Freedom Star. The
nose cap and the aft portion of the exit cone are the
only sections left behind. If the nose cap is needed for
a special reason, such as post-flight inspection, it will
be included in the retrieval process if it can be located.
The main parachutes are reeled on board the ship
first, followed by the drogue parachutes, which are
still attached to the frustum. Once the frustum is
about 100 feet from the ship, the parachute lines are
reeled in until the frustum can be lifted from the
water by a 10-ton crane on board the ship.
Recovery of the SRB is the last part of booster
retrieval.
Divers plug the nozzle of the SRB with an en-
hanced diver-operated plug, or EDOP. A 2,000-
foot-long airline attached to the EDOP is plugged
into an air compressor located onboard the ship. Air
is pumped into the booster and forces all the water
out, causing the SRB to topple over into a horizontal
position. When the flight hardware is safed, the ships
return to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station (CCAFS), Fla., where the disassembly of the
solid rocket boosters will begin. the SRB into the slip over the slings. In addition,
While the SRBs are en route, a 200-ton, straddle various technicians surround the SRB and help tow it
lift crane at the hangar is moved into position over the gently into the slip.
slip, and its lifting slings are dropped into the water. In turn, the crane raises each SRB above the water
Upon arrival, each ship noses up to a wharf so its SRB and all remaining saltwater contamination is washed
can be in line with the hoisting slip. The lead rope is off. While an SRB is being removed from the slip, its
wrapped around an electric capstan that helps to draw frustum and parachutes are offloaded from the ships
and placed on transportation platforms.
The parachutes will be moved to the Parachute
Refurbishment Facility for cleaning and reuse on a
future launch. The frustum, however, is moved inside
the Hangar AF high bay, where it will undergo assess-
ment and disassembly.
When each SRB is ready, it will be moved to a
safing area and lowered onto a rail dolly. Technicians
then begin the initial safing process. Afterward,
the SRB is driven through the wash bay for a clean-
ing and rinsing, then moved back to the safing area.
Ordnance is removed from the forward skirt and the
thrust vector control system is depressurized.
2 Workers at CCAFS help maneuver the SRB into the hoisting sling. Assessment teams move in to determine if the

A spent SRB is lifted in a hoisting slip in the Hangar AF area at
CCAFS. It will be washed down and moved to the hangar.
booster received any damage during flight or post-
flight activities. Once the SRBs have received a clean
bill of health, they are moved into the east and west
wash bays. In these bays, they receive the ultimate
pressure cleaning – known as “hydrolasing” – that re-
moves the foam, or thermal protection system (TPS),
from around the tunnel covers, solid rocket motors
and aft skirt attach points.
Hyrdolasing requires two workers: one to oper-
ate the rotating head gun and the other to act as a
safety monitor. The gun operates at 15,000 pounds
per square inch, producing an extremely loud sound
as the water impacts the SRB. Hearing protection is
required to work in and around the area.
Following hydrolasing operations, the SRB is
moved inside the hangar so that the aft skirts can be
removed. Due to the hydrazine still inside the thrust
vector control systems, the hangar is cleared of all
non-essential personnel. Once an “all clear” has been
established, the aft skirt operations can begin. A sepa-
ration ring is placed on the SRB to ready the aft skirt
for demating. Technicians operate hydraulic control
panels that are connected by lines to the separation
rings. As hydraulic fluid flows through the lines, the
aft skirt is forced away from the aft segment.
Next, the crane trolley backs up, clearing the aft
skirt away from the SRB. The aft skirt is then rotated
and lowered onto blocks, lifted and placed on a trans-
portation dolly, and moved inside the Thrust Vector
Control Deservicing Facility for hydrazine removal
and additional disassembly operations.
Inside, technicians prepare the aft skirts for
deservicing. The auxiliary power units are removed,
followed by the thrust vector control system and,
finally, the aft booster separation motors. The aft skirt
is then transported to the Robotic Hydrolase Facility
for removal of the TPS.
The SRBs are rinsed one more time and then
moved inside the hangar, where they remain for the
rest of the disassembly operations. The nozzle, which
is the component that helps steer the shuttle during
its first two minutes of flight, is the next item to be
removed from the SRBs.
Nozzle removal is basically the same as aft skirt
removal. Both procedures require the use of a crane
and hydraulic panels. The nozzle is pulled straight
out and moved over to a transportation platform
and placed in the horizontal position. Once again,
assessment teams move in to verify damage, if any.
The nozzles are placed inside a shipping container and
sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final
processing.
The spent case segments are also sent back to Utah
for build-up, but they must first be separated from
each other.
The forward skirt is separated first, followed by the
rest of the segments.
The pins attaching the segments to each other are
removed at the start. Separation rings are then low-
ered into place. Each ring has three joints that help
mold the ring around the segment. The air motor is
turned on and the drive mechanism on the front ring
rotates, causing the four jack screws to turn and press
against the pads on the second ring. This forces the
front segment to move slightly away from the back
After retrieval post-launch, an SRB is processed through the
washing station at Hangar AF.
3
 segment. Technicians help finish the job by
pushing the rail car forward.
Because of the impact when the boosters
fall into the ocean, all internal segment debris
ends up in the forward segments. This type of
debris is rinsed out into special carts and taken
away. Assessment teams make one last check
before the segments are placed on flat-
bed trucks.
The individual segments are transferred to
a railhead located on the launch side at Ken-
nedy Space Center. Upon arrival, a segment is
moved underneath a 60-ton crane that lifts it
off the flatbed. A train backs up and the seg-
ment is lowered onto a rail car. Yellow trans-
portation covers are placed over each segment
and secured. The covered segments are moved
to J and J Railroad, where they will be hooked
up to yet another train for the long trip back to
Utah.
Meanwhile, work at the hangar continues.
The remaining light hardware – the frustum,
forward skirt and aft skirt – must be refur-
bished. All three pieces go through the same
procedures following disassembly: hydrolasing
to remove the TPS and media blasting to re-
move paint coatings, as well as the application
of alodine, primer, paint and sealants.
Let’s follow the frustum through the se-
quence.
The frustum was offloaded from the re-
trieval ship and moved inside the Hangar AF
High Bay for disassembly. Various parts, such
as the flotation curtains and foam blocks, now
are removed. Some parts, like the barometric
switch tubes, are sent to “Small Parts,” an area
inside the hangar.
Robotic hydrolasing is used to remove TPS
from the exterior surface of the frustum. The
frustum is placed on a mobile access refurbish-
ment stand, or MARS, and moved inside the
Robotic Hydrolase Facility. The robot moves
into position and the MARS begins to rotate
on a turntable. After one complete rotation,
the robot moves up slightly, removing TPS
materials from the next portion of the frus-
tum. The robot continues in this fashion until
it reaches the top of the hardware.
4 Putting the larger pieces of hardware
(Left) The segment is in the west
wash area at Hangar AF, CCAFS,
on a rail car dolly prior to SRB aft
skirt demating. Residual aft skirt
foam can be seen.

(Far left) Workers at Hangar AF,

CCAFS, examine an aft section of
an empty SRB.

(Below) At Hangar AF, a tech-

nician cleans an area around
the field joint of one of the SRBs
recovered after a launch.

(Below, far left) The railroad

engine transports SRB segments
(in yellow containers) to Utah. The
segments will be prepared for a
future launch and returned to KSC.

5

through this process removes the majority of the TPS,
topcoat, primer and black sealant.
The stripped-down frustum is now transported
to a base support contractor, where it is blasted with
a plastic media to remove remnants of the protective
finish. The plastic bead blast strips the frustum down
to bare metal, preparing it for the next stage of pro-
cessing: a water-break test and alodine application.
The frustum undergoes extensive inspection, non-
destructive evaluation, and repair procedures before
the application of protective finishes.
To help the frustum maintain a protective coating
of alodine, the entire surface must be clean. The wa-
ter-break test determines the success of the bead blast-
ing. As water is sprayed over the frustum, technicians
watch for trouble spots. The water must flow down in
sheets. If it beads up, then the frustum is not clean in
certain areas and requires further cleaning by hand.
After the frustum has passed the water-break
test, alodine is applied. The brownish liquid is used
as a preventive measure for corrosion control and is
handled as a hazardous material. The technician fills
a large container with the alodine and moves around
the frustum while spraying. As the alodine hits the
6
At CCAFS,
the frustum
of a forward
skirt
assembly
from a
spent SRB
is removed
from the
retrieval
ship. It will
be moved
inside
Hangar AF
High Bay for
disassembly.
structure surface, it “burns,” or leaves an etching
behind. A second technician follows, rinsing off any
excessive residue, which flows down into a special
drain. The leftover alodine will be picked up by a
hazardous materials group for disposal.
Using a system much like a shop vacuum, the
excessive water is removed from the frustum before it
is moved next door to a paint and primer booth.
Technicians mix the primer and paint and apply
both to the larger pieces, both inside and out, using
spray guns attached to a roll-around canister. The
primer is applied the first day, with the topcoat usu-
ally done the following day.
After the paint has cured, the frustum moves to
a large work area across from the paint booth, where
sealant is applied. Sealant is mixed with a catalyst to
create a moisture-resistant material for certain areas
of the vehicle where water intrusion is not desired.
Later, the frustum, aft skirt and forward skirt will
be moved to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facil-
ity for final assembly build-up and testing.
All of these post-flight procedures are repeated
after each mission.
 Speed
Mission Elapsed Time Height (miles/kilometers
Event After Liftoff (feet/meters) per hour)

Booster separation from Shuttle 124 seconds 156,000 feet

(47,549 meters)
Apogee (maximum height booster
reaches after separation) 196 seconds 238,000 feet
(72,542 meters)

Nose cap separation/pilot chute deploy 349 seconds 16,000 feet 360 mph
(4,877 meters) (579 kph)

Drogue chute deploy 350 seconds 15,530 feet

(4,734 meters)

Frustum separation/main chute deploy 371 seconds 6,450 feet 250 mph
(1,966 meters) (402 kph)
Booster impact and main chute
separation 414 seconds 50 mph
(81 kph)

Frustum/drogue chute impact 459 seconds 40 mph

(64 kph)

A Solid Rocket Booster Retrieval Ship has arrived on scene after splashdown of an SRB segment following a
space shuttle launch. The segment floats vertically until divers can insert an enhanced diver-operated plug
(EDOP) into the nozzle of the booster. The EDOP pumps air into the empty casing until all water is expelled and it
falls horizontally and can be towed back to port. 7
NASA Facts
Captions, front page:
(Top) The solid rocket boosters on Space Shuttle Discovery spew a column of flame as it races toward
space on mission STS-105 to the International Space Station. The twin sets of boosters provide 80
percent of the space shuttle launch thrust. Approximately 2 minutes after launch, the boosters will be
jettisoned into the Atlantic Ocean and recovered for future use.

(Middle) The SRB Retrieval Ship Liberty Star maneuvers a spent booster toward the Hangar AF wharf
at CCAFS so its SRB can be in line with the hoisting slip. A 200-ton, straddle lift crane lifts the booster
above the water and all remaining saltwater contamination is washed off.

(Bottom) The individual segments are transferred to a railhead located on the launch side at Kennedy
Space Center. A train backs up and the segment is lowered onto a rail car. Yellow transportation covers
are placed over each segment and secured. The covered segments are moved to J and J Railroad,
where they are hooked up to yet another train for the long trip back to Utah.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Kennedy Space Center, FL

www.nasa.gov

8 FS-2004-07-012-KSC (Rev. 2006)